Dieting and the Development of Eating Disorders among Iranian Women COMPARING THE RISK BETWEEN TEHRAN AND THE NELHERLANDS

This study compares the dieting habits and eating disorder symptoms of Iranian women living in Tehran with those residing in the Netherlands and assesses the current state of eating disorders in Tehran through interviews with psychiatrists. Fifty-nine Iranian women living in Tehran and forty Iranian women living in the Netherlands filled out a questionnaire including the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), the Sick, Control, One stone, Fat and Food (SCOFF) questionnaire, their actual and desired weight and their ideal figure. No significant differences were found between groups on EAT-26 or SCOFF scores, the level of weight satisfaction, or the perceived ideal figure. The dieting of the Dutch sample was significantly more related to self-esteem and perfectionism. The Tehran sample included more women with a low BM (below 18), high EAT-26 scores (>20) and high SCOFF scores (>2). The psychiatrists interviewed in Tehran reported an increase in the prevalence of eating disorders. Iranian women in Tehran seem to be at an equal or even higher risk of developing an eating disorder than Iranian women in the Netherlands.